Carbon dioxide desorption from fermentation broth by use of oxygen vectors

Fluorine materials scavenge excess carbon dioxide and promote Escherichia coli growth

Fluorinated solvents have been used as oxygen carriers in closed microbial cultures to sustain aerobic conditions. However, the growth-promoting effects of fluorinated solvents remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which fluorinated solvents promote microbial growth and to explore alternative materials that can be easily isolated after culture. Escherichia coli and HFE-7200, a fluorinated solvent, were used to explore factors other than oxygen released by fluorinated solvents that promote microbial growth. E. coli growth was promoted in gas-permeable cultures, and HFE-7200 alleviated medium acidification. Gas chromatography confirmed that HFE-7200 functioned as a scavenger of carbon dioxide produced by E. coli metabolism. Because fluorinated solvents can dissolve various gases, they could scavenge metabolically produced toxic gases from microbial cultures. Furthermore, using polytetrafluoroethylene, a solid fluorine material, results in enhanced bacterial growth. Such solid materials can be easily isolated and reused for microbial culture, suggesting their potential as valuable technologies in food production and biotechnology.

Towards improved butanol production through targeted genetic modification of Clostridium pasteurianum

Declining fossil fuel reserves, coupled with environmental concerns over their continued extraction and exploitation have led to strenuous efforts to identify renewable routes to energy and fuels. One attractive option is to convert glycerol, a by-product of the biodiesel industry, into n-butanol, an industrially important chemical and potential liquid transportation fuel, using Clostridium pasteurianum. Under certain growth conditions this Clostridium species has been shown to predominantly produce n-butanol, together with ethanol and 1,3-propanediol, when grown on glycerol. Further increases in the yields of n-butanol produced by C. pasteurianum could be accomplished through rational metabolic engineering of the strain. Accordingly, in the current report we have developed and exemplified a robust tool kit for the metabolic engineering of C. pasteurianum and used the system to make the first reported in-frame deletion mutants of pivotal genes involved in solvent production, namely hydA (hydrogenase), rex (Redox response regulator) and dhaBCE (glycerol dehydratase). We were, for the first time in C. pasteurianum, able to eliminate 1,3-propanediol synthesis and demonstrate its production was essential for growth on glycerol as a carbon source. Inactivation of both rex and hydA resulted in increased n-butanol titres, representing the first steps towards improving the utilisation of C. pasteurianum as a chassis for the industrial production of this important chemical.

Indirect methods for characterization of carbon dioxide levels in fermentation broth

Various factors which influence dissolved carbon dioxide levels were indirectly evaluated in pilot scale and laboratory studies. For pilot scale studies, off-gas carbon dioxide (percentage in exit air) was measured using a mass spectrometer and then its potential impact on dissolved carbon dioxide concentrations qualitatively examined. Greater volumetric air flowrates reduced off-gas carbon dioxide levels more effectively at lower airflow ranges and thus lowered expected dissolved carbon dioxide levels through gas stripping. Lower broth pH values decreased off-gas carbon dioxide levels but increased expected dissolved carbon dioxide levels due to the pH-dependence of the gas/liquid carbon dioxide equilibrium. While back-pressure increases had an insignificant effect on off-gas carbon dioxide levels, they directly affected expected dissolved carbon dioxide levels according to Henry's law. Laboratory studies, conducted using both uninoculated and inoculated fermentation media, quantified the response of the media to pH changes with bicarbonate addition, specifically its buffering capacity. This effect then was related qualitatively to expected dissolved carbon dioxide levels. Higher dissolved carbon dioxide levels, as demonstrated by reduced pH changes with bicarbonate addition, thus would be expected for salt solutions of increased ionic strength and higher protein content media. In addition, pH changes with greater bicarbonate additions declined for fermentation samples taken over the course of a one week cultivation, most likely due to the higher protein content associated with biomass growth. The presence of weak acids/bases initially in the media or formed as metabolic by products, as well as the concentration of buffering ions such as phosphate, also were believed to be important contributing elements to the buffering capacity of the solution.